Heroes of the West
by Wandering Wonderer
Summary: WILD WEST story. Naruto and Gaara, two best friends, are passing through a town, when events force them to stay. Guns, love and annoying priests...a new kind of Naruto story. Fanart available, link available in my profile.
1. Dawn

**Welcome, this is Wandering Wonderer. If you've shortened your search by putting in an M rated fic involving Naruto and Gaara, sorry, no yaoi here. **

**This is a Wild West fic...no I'm not insane.**

**If you're here purely from welcome. If you've come here via the link at yes, this is Sleepwalking101. Due to the easy organisation here at the future chapters will be sent here instead of DA, sorry. Co-written with Sabaku-chan from DA, fanart is available at DA under her page, and there is a link on my profile, so please go there after you finish the chapter and write a comment. The cover and flyers are up already, screenshots of the first chapter will be up soon.**

**Rated M for language, violence(?), and future lemons. NaruSaku and GaaHina pairings.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, neither does my cowriter Sabaku-chan...**

**Sabaku-chan: Don't have to rub it in!!**

**WW/SW101(Me): My bad...

* * *

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It was early morning in the Wild West and all was quiet as the sunlight lit up a small town. Accompanying the bright rays of sunlight into town, were two figures riding horses. One horse, golden as the early morning sun, had seated upon him a tall rider with hair that seemed to glisten of gold. Riding along side him, was a horse as black as night, and the rider perched upon him had burgundy hair that looked like it was the product of a rich red wine.

As the two young men rode through the main street of the town, the horses kicking up dry dust, rain not having fallen in months, they passed many people as they opened their stores for the day. Being two unfamiliar faces, they drew attention instantly, receiving suspicious glances and hushed whispers.

"Naruto, we're not staying long. Get a drink, get some food, and then we're going. I hate people staring." The burgundy haired young man said.

The other young man turned his head, nodding in understanding, his blonde hair catching the morning sun.

"Sure, whatever, doesn't look like this town has anything good anyway. Where do you think the saloon is? I'm dying for a beer…and a whiskey…a bit of bourbon would hit the spot too." Naruto replied.

The other young man shrugged, his dark brown coat rustling slightly. His pale blue eyes scanned up and down the street, not missing the suspicious glares and sneers directed his way.

"Why do they mostly glare at me?" He asked.

Naruto laughed. "It's because you're scary-looking Gaara. It's those panda eyes you've got going on, it scares people…plus you never smile."

Gaara snorted and ruffled his burgundy hair, yawning to emphasise the fact that he didn't give a rat's arse that people were scared of him. That's the image he wanted.

"AH HA!! I see the saloon, its dead ahead. Race you there! Yeeha!" Naruto shouted, riding ahead without waiting for an answer.

Gaara watched his long time friend ride ahead, his mouth twitching at the corners with amusement.

"Idiot…"

* * *

Tying up his horse, Storm, next to Naruto's, which had been lovingly named Scotch, Gaara sauntered into the saloon, the doors swinging open as he gave a light push. As he stepped within the establishment, eyes scanning over the wooden tables and chairs, he heard the doors swing closed behind him. Standing behind the bar, illuminated by the sunlight filtering through the window, was a tall man with silver messy hair and a necktie covering his nose and mouth. Sitting at one of the barstools was Naruto, who was wriggling in his seat. Gaara sat beside him and the bartender made his way over to the two, wiping clean a tall glass. 

"Don't usually have customers this early, you're not from around here are you?" The older man said.

Gaara only reached into one of his coat pockets, pulling out a little silver case. Naruto smiled at the bartender.

"Nope, just passing through. We've been traveling for so long and we're so thirsty, and hungry." He said dramatically, clutching his stomach.

The bartender chuckled and poured two tall glasses of orange liquid.

"What's this?" Naruto asked curiously, eyeing the drink.

The bartender smiled. "Kakashi's Breakfast Special…" Naruto took a swig of the drink and spat it back out, face screwed in disgust. "Orange juice." The bartender concluded with a bright face.

Gaara watched the display with amusement, but only responded with a smirk, before returning to the construction of his luxury…his cigarette. Opening the silver case, it revealed a few sheets of white paper-looking material and an abundance of tobacco. He took out a small sliver of tobacco and rolled it into a stick shape, placing it inside a sheet of the white paper and rolling it into a cigarette. Licking the edge, to make it stick to the rest of the luxury, he took out a match and lit it expertly on the wooden bar counter. Lighting his cigarette, he inhaled deeply.

"This stuff's disgusting! Where's the owner, I want to complain!" Naruto whined, slamming a fist on the counter.

"Naruto, calm down, it's not this guy's fault you've never had orange juice before." Gaara said, barely paying attention.

"In any case kid, I am the owner. Kakashi's the name, drinks are my game." He said, giving them a thumbs' up.

Both boys sweat dropped as they looked with frowns at the man giving them a thumb up.

"Lame" They thought, neither knowing that that was what the other was thinking.

"It's too early for any alcohol, plus you hardly look old enough to be able to hold your own after one drink." Kakashi said.

"Hey, I'm 18 and I can hold my own!" Naruto said, taking another swig of the orange juice defiantly, then giving a disgusted face as he downed the hideous drink.

"Kid, I'll make you a deal. Come back tonight after dark, and if you can down more than three drinks and still speak straight, the drinks are on me."

"Done!" Naruto said, guzzling the orange juice to make his point.

"We're not staying that long Naruto." Gaara said, drinking his own orange juice calmly.

"Gaara…free drinks when I win!" Naruto cried out excitedly, turning to his reserved friend.

Kakashi smirked to himself, he knew he was going to win. He'd being selling drinks since he was 17…now with 10 years experience, he knew how to pick the suckers and make some extra cash. Plus, the entertainment his victims caused always boosted business.

Gaara looked at his friend and his pleading eyes, and he rolled his own.

"Fine, I need more tobacco anyway. Plus Storm needs a rest."

Naruto cheered and clapped his friend hard on the back. Gaara almost choked on his own cigarette and glared at Naruto.

"Sometimes I think you care for your horse 'Blacky' more than me." Naruto pouted childishly.

"He's more responsible than you, and his name is STORM" Gaara said firmly.

Naruto gave him his usual boyish grin.

"Nuh uh! Anyway, as a token of my gratitude, I'll pay for the 'orange juice'." Naruto searched his pockets and then looked back up at Gaara, smiling sheepishly. "Umm, I'm a bit short…can you lend me some money."

Gaara sighed in exasperation and rolled his eyes, pulling out a little cash. "I told you Storm was more responsible. That's the last of our cash, how do you spend all our money?"

"It's not me…Scotch demands only the finest food."

Gaara raised an eyebrow, smoke curling around his face. "Carrots and oats?"

Naruto laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head, handing the cash to Kakashi, who had begun washing the glasses. Receiving only a little change, Naruto handed it back to Gaara, who eyed it in slight disgust.

"Not even enough for tobacco…" He thought to himself.

* * *

Later that afternoon, outside of town, with the sun setting and casting an orange glow on the town, Naruto stood facing a tree, gun aimed at it, the poor tree was riddled with bullets. Gaara stood away from his friend, practicing a rare kind of self defense found in the West, as it originated from the East. He had removed his dark brown coat and a bead of sweat ran down his face. 

As he shifted position, Storm trotted up to him and nuzzled his back, making Gaara lose his balance and concentration. He turned around and softly patted Storm's head, resting his face against the black coat of his faithful animal. After providing his horse with attention, Gaara began his training again.

"Come on, come on, set already!"

Gaara looked up from his training at Naruto, who had lowered his gun. He was now looking at the setting sun, using his hand to shield his eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" Gaara called.

"I want the sun to set so I can go and win that bet with the bartender, what's-his-name."

"Kakashi…and why don't you just go now?"

"I don't want to come across as desperate. He said to come after dark. If I go earlier, I'll look desperate…when I'm not. Come on, how long does it take for a sun to set?" He shouted, swinging his gun around.

"Hey! Stop that or you'll end up shooting your feet or something" Gaara said with an annoyed tone.

"Pfft! Who do you think I am!? Some dumb rookie? I have total control over this gu-"

The air was filled with the sound of a gunshot, ringing through the ears of the two boys and their horses.

"Oops"

Gaara's left eye twitched as he looked at the newly formed hole in his jacket that 'had' been hanging off the now fallen tree.

"Naruto" He growled, his voice as cold as ice.

Naruto, now sweating quite profusely, looked at Gaara with a sheepish smile.

"S-Sorry, I can fix that if you wa-"

"Forget it, you'll only make it worse. Just stop messing around with that gun or I'll shove it where the sun don't shine!" Gaara shouted as he pulled on his now punctured dark coat and moved back over to Storm, hopping on his faithful steed, while mumbling something about wasting more money and needing a cigarette.

"Naruto, get on your horse! It'll take us ten minutes to get back there even on horseback. It'll be dark by then…so you won't lose face."

His lips twitched.

Twirling his gun, then slinging it in its holster, Naruto called Scotch over and effortlessly swung up onto his back. Not even bothering to take the reins, Naruto slightly dug his heels into Scotch's sides, and the horse began a steady walk towards the town. Gaara followed Naruto's example by digging his heels into Storm's sides, and the black stallion was off.

* * *

The doors of the saloon swung open and there stood Naruto, hands on his hips, smiling defiantly. Gaara stood beside him, cigarette in mouth and arms folded across his chest. 

"Okay Kakashi, I'm gonna win this thing!"

All heads turned towards their direction, but the two ignored them, walking over to the bar. Kakashi stood behind the counter, smirking underneath his necktie.

"Idiot…" He thought.

Naruto and Gaara swung themselves onto two seats at the bar. Everyone else present turned back to their own affairs and forgot about the loud mouthed blonde and his scowling friend. Kakashi placed a drink in front of Naruto.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"Not orange juice."

Naruto downed it in one swig and beamed at Kakashi. "That's one…"

Not 15 minutes later, Naruto was completely drunk, slamming his glass on the bar table and shouting for another drink.

"We can't afford it…we're leaving." Gaara said, pulling Naruto easily out of his seat.

As Gaara's statement revealed, Naruto had lost the bet, so he had to pay the full tab of what he'd drank. He'd become completely drunk off two and a half glasses of Kakashi's strongest drink.

"You can't leave, you haven't paid!" Kakashi shouted over the noise the regulars were making.

The ruckus being made by the regulars was what apparently happened every Friday night. A cry of 'Yosh!' and 'How troublesome' could be heard over the generally loud crowd gathered within the saloon.

Gaara scowled. "Well, we're obviously not leaving tonight. This drunken idiot probably couldn't even sit on his horse! We'll pay you back tomorrow."

Without another word, Gaara hauled Naruto towards the doors, though went unwillingly. Outside in the street, Naruto was stumbling down the road, as Gaara undid the reins holding Storm and Scotch to the post, and they faithfully followed their riders down the street.

"I'm not drunk, let's go back! I can still win this thing! Believe it!" Naruto said, trying to head back to the saloon.

Gaara growled as he pulled his drunk friend away by the collar of his light brown coat. Naruto was struggling and thrashing about, trying to get free, but his friend held firm.

"I'm not letting you go back, you'll only make a fool of yourself and cost us 'more' money that we 'don't' have."

"I am not a fool!" He slurred.

Before the red head could answer, Naruto had swung a hand, and it collided with his face, knocking his grip free. Naruto tackled Gaara to the ground, but Gaara, being of sound mind and strength, was able to reverse the position and get up off the ground. Naruto also leapt to his feet and ran at his friend.

"You stupid drunk!" Gaara snarled as he grabbed him by the collar of his coat and his belt, and flung him away as hard as he could.

Naruto stumbled back a few metres, but being as drunk as he was, he kept tripping. He finally hit the wall of a building, coming to a stop.

"Have you calmed down?" Gaara asked in a dead-panned voice.

"I could have won dammit! I can still win, believe it!"

In his alcohol induced anger, Naruto began slamming his fist against the nearest hard surface…which happened to be the window of the building he was leaning against. Naruto, being a fairly strong young man, was able to break the window, glass shattering and raining down on the inside of the building. The sound of the destruction, and the pain in his fist seemed to sober him up slightly.

"Oops…"

"What the hell is going on?"

The two young men turned their head and saw an older man with a scar running across his face, storm out of the building. Gaara looked up at the sign. 'Iruka's Inn'.

"You'd better be able to pay for that!" The older man scowled as he stalked over to the two friends.

"Nope, we're flat broke!" Naruto smirked.

Gaara crossed his arms over his chest, there was no way this guy was going to push him around.

"You wrecked my hotel, you have to pay for it!"

"So you're 'Iruka'?" Gaara asked.

The man nodded and hauled Naruto away from the wall of the hotel, holding him by the scruff of the collar.

"We can't pay, we have no money at all…in fact, we're in debt to Kakashi, courtesy of my drunk friend." Gaara explained, indicating Naruto.

"I'm NOT…" Hiccup. "Drunk!" Naruto shouted while helplessly trying to loosen Iruka's grip.

Iruka's eyes widened. "Kakashi got your friend too? He's sly that Kakashi…alright, I'll make you a deal. I'll let you stay at the hotel, but you have to work for me, to pay off your debt to me and Kakashi…fair?"

"Do you have beds?" Naruto asked.

Iruka didn't bother answering. Gaara, not really being a bad guy, knew it was the right thing to do to work off the debt.

"Fine, you've got yourself a deal." He said.

He grabbed Naruto out of Iruka's grasp and hauled him through the front door of the hotel. Iruka followed, shaking his head in amusement.

"Weird boys…"

* * *

**What did you think? Don't forget to review!! Then go to my profile and follow the link to Sabaku-chan's DA account page.**

**Stay tuned for the second chapter: The Good, The Bad and the Annoying**


	2. The Good, Bad and Annoying

**Welcome one and all, this is chapter 2 of Heroes of the West.**

**In this chapter we meet new characters of all sorts. Humor, romance and idiots galore!**

**Just to remind you, I did not write this by myself. Sabaku-chan of is co-writer and artist of this fic. There is a link on my profile page to her account on DA, check it out when you finish the chappie.**

**Disclaimer: I do not...nor Sabaku-chan...own Naruto or any other characters mentioned in this chapter (or any others written or to be written). Rub it in why don't you :(**

**Now, with that party pooper out of the way, on with the story...I can almost hear the GaaHina fangirls squealing.**

* * *

The next morning, Naruto awoke to sunlight shining on his face. He turned over, groaning, trying to escape the inevitable…but to no avail, he was awake.

"Damn it."

He sat up stretching and noticed two things. One, he had a killer hangover; and two, he didn't have a shirt on…or pants for that matter! Lifting the covers, he was relieved to see that he at least had some boxers on. Looking around the room...

"Where the hell am I?"

From the door across from the bed, Gaara poked his head through. His hair was wet, though he was fully clothed, minus the jacket.

"I hope you have a killer headache!" Gaara growled menacingly.

"What's stuck up YOUR ass?" His golden-haired companion asked, smirking. "You have to learn to control your urges, you can't keep undressing me! You know I don't bend that way, I'm strictly straight." He continued, smirk still present.

Gaara snorted in indignation and decided not to comment on the last remark "We're stuck in this backwater town until we've paid our debt to that bartender Kakashi and the owner of this hotel, Iruka."

"Ir-who-ka?"

"IRUKA! You sma-"

"Oh yeah, I smashed the window…that hurt like hell."

Naruto stood up and stretched again, Gaara watched with bewilderment.

"It's always amazed me that you never have a shred of proof that you were completely drunk one night, and perfectly fine the next day." Gaara muttered, shaking his head.

"Well actually, I have a headache this morning…that's pretty rare. That Kakashi guy makes a mean drink! Drink…where's Scotch?!?"

"Your horse is fine. Iruka paid some vet to look after Storm and Scotch, which another thing we have to work off. The vet came around last night after I dragged your drunken ass upstairs, so I don't even know where he took them!"

Naruto moved to the bathroom to wash up, full of enthusiasm to find his horse…but there was a knock on their hotel room door and a second later, Iruka came in.

"Where's the vet? We have to go and find our horses now! Scotch is a fussy eater."

"I know you hurt your hand last night, so I called in a doctor…well actually, she's the doctor's daughter." Iruka explained.

"Really, when's she getting here?" Naruto asked.

As he finished his sentence, a pink-haired girl walked in medical bag in one hand, waving in greeting with the other. One look at Naruto, dressed in nothing but boxers, and she grinned.

"Pretty…" Was the first thought that went through his head.

Trying to act cool, he flashed a charming smirk and tipped an invisible hat her way. Then he casually went to slip a hand into a pocket…before realising he didn't have any.

"Oh crap!"

Gaara bent down to Naruto's bed, picked up the folded clothes, then, with the hint of a smirk, handed said clothes to his blushing friend. With lightning quick reflexes, Naruto grabbed the clothing and disappeared into the bathroom.

"Excuse him, he's…an idiot." Gaara said with a monotone voice.

"I AM NOT!" Could be heard through the bathroom door.

"This is Sakura Haruno, a very skilled and respected doctor in this town." Iruka explained, changing the subject.

"My mother, the town doctor, Tsunade, has taught me all there is to know. I promise I'll take good care of your friend."

"Really?" Naruto said, appearing out of the bathroom, fully clothed, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

Sakura moved towards Naruto, placing her medical bag on the bed. As she passed Gaara, he whispered to her.

"I'd keep an eye on this one."

Sakura nodded slightly, the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. Taking Naruto's injured hand, she inspected it. Had she looked up, she would have seen the slight blush dusting his cheeks.

"Sit down." She said firmly.

Gaara had turned towards Iruka, facing away from the doctor and her patient.

"Where are our horses?"

"I told you this morning, with the vet, Kiba Inuzuka."

"I know that, but 'where' exactly, we'd like to see them."

Before Iruka could answer, they were cut off by a cry of pain.

"OWW, watch it woman! That hurts!"

Gaara and Iruka sweatdropped and turned around…and came face to face with an angry doctor.

"It's supposed to hurt, it means its working! Stop being such a baby!" She shouted.

Gaara raised an eyebrow as Iruka and Naruto shrunk back. This 'Sakura' was very temperamental and fiery. Naruto tried to pull his hand from her grasp, but she held fast.

"Wow, She's strong…scary!" He thought.

"The ointment is cleaning the wound, that's why it hurts. The pain will subside soon though, then I'll bandage it and you'll be ready for work. Iruka told me you smashed his window…you're lucky you don't have any glass shards in your hand." She said in a calmer voice.

Naruto nodded dumbly, completely shocked at her change of mood. Relaxing again, he admired at how pretty this woman was, who didn't even look to be the same age as him.

"Anyway, old man, where are the horses?" Gaara continued.

"I'm not old!" Iruka snapped, before taking a deep breath. "The vet is just off the main street. Kiba will be there, and he'll take you to your horses, which are at the stables."

"Yeeha! Scotch!" Naruto cried out.

"Scotch…you can't drink this early in the morning!" Sakura snapped again, shutting her medical bag with a snap, having finished tending to Naruto.

"Scotch is his horse's name…I think he was drunk when he named it though." Gaara explained, turning around, as Naruto did a little happy dance.

"How can you not have a hang over?" Iruka asked, puzzled.

* * *

Walking down the main street, Gaara and Naruto were again attracting attention. Naruto had his hands in his pant pockets and a smile on his face, unaware of the stares. Gaara had his arms folded across his chest, face set in a small frown, the two looked as different as day and night.

"Are we there yet?" Naruto asked.

Gaara didn't even bother to answer.

"Gaara, did you here me, are we THERE yet?!"

Gaara turned his head towards his friend, frown increasing. Taking his eyes off where he was going, he didn't notice two people come their direction. As they passed each other, Gaara's side knocked the one of their sides, making them lose their balance. The person fell to the ground, landing on their rear.

Gaara turned, anger evident on his face. "Hey, watch it-" Gaara stoped in his tracks as he noticed that the figure on the ground was a girl…a very pretty girl. Quickly he changed to a calm persona.

"I'm sorry," He said, extending a hand. "Are you alright?"

The girl offered her hand, but Gaara's was knocked aside by the girl's companion. He hauled the girl to her feet firmly, drawing her away from Gaara and Naruto. The young man with long brown hair that was tied back glared at the other two men.

"Neji, it's okay, it was an accident." Her voice was soft, like small silver chimes shifting slightly in the wind.

"You were clumsy Hinata." Neji scolded.

Hinata hung her head, eyes glancing at the two other men. A soft pink blush graced her cheeks upon her gaze settling on the man she had stumbled into. Her silver eyes locked with his aqua green ones and her cheeks turned redder. A soft breeze passed them, shifting her hair, which was as blue as the petals of the mythical blue rose. Placed in her hair was a small flower whose colour was dulled by the richness of her short hair. Dressed in a light blue dress, the same colour as the flower in her hair, her delicate frame was accentuated, showing the smooth transition of girl to woman.

As Hinata brushed a strand of hair that had flitted in front of her eyes, Gaara couldn't help but notice the creaminess of her soft skin, which contrasted her smooth dark locks of hair. As their eyes met, he noticed that her eyes, and their piercing silver colour, seemed to look straight through his hard exterior.

As he marvelled at her searching eyes, he had no idea that she was doing the same thing. Just looking into his eyes, she felt intrigued. They reminded her of a cold lake, they were deep, piercing, intense and rippled with years of pain and loneliness. How was it possible that those eyes seemed to reflect what she felt deep within herself?

"Come Hinata, your father's waiting." Neji said, breaking the spell.

Without another word, Neji began walking away, she hesitated a second, looking at Gaara, before following the young man that held an aura of authority and power.

"Gaara, come on…Gaara, are you okay? Hey! snap out of it…Blacky's waiting for you." Naruto said, poking him on the cheek.

Gaara's face turned, giving Naruto a death glare. "His name is STORM, get it through your thick head!"

Acting as if nothing happened, Gaara continued on his previous path, not waiting for a certain blonde that was grinning like an idiot.

* * *

Arriving at the vet, Naruto ran through the open door.

"Scotch! Where's my Scotch?"

"Saloon's down the street, cowboy!" Said an unfamiliar male voice.

Naruto turned towards the voice. Removing a bandage from a dog's leg was a young man, a little older than the two newcomers. He had brown hair and piercing black eyes that seemed to radiate intelligence.

"Are you the vet, can I see my horse, is he okay, is he sick?" Naruto asked frantically, staring in all directions.

The older boy raised an eyebrow. "You must be the guy that broke Iruka's window…you named your horse 'Scotch'?"

"Yeah, Naruto's the name…where's Scotch?"

Gaara appeared beside Naruto, looking much calmer…and cooler than his hyperactive friend.

"Could you take us to your stables, we want to see our horses, that's all." He explained calmly.

Kiba nodded and placed the dog he'd been treating on the floor. "Akamaru, go and get some rest."

The dog wandered out of the room, though the three humans remained where they were. Kiba looked the two men up and down, wondering whether they were trustworthy. Finding no reason not to trust them, he silently led them out of the room and out of the building.

* * *

Arriving at the stable, Naruto ran over to Scotch's stall, opening it and hurtling himself towards his horse. Scotch, used to his owner's antics, didn't even flinch.

Much calmer than his companion, Gaara wordlessly walked over to Storm's stall, opened it and moved over to his faithful horse, softly stroking the side of his face.

"How's Blacky?" Naruto called over with a cheeky grin, breaking the calm silence.

"STORM! He's fine." Gaara replied, throwing an evil glance at the blonde.

"Of course they're going to be fine. I know what I'm doing when it comes to animals…and since you've put me in such a good mood, we need to discuss payment options." Kiba frowned, crossing his arms in anger.

"We're going to have to keep them here…you can look after them properly." Naruto sighed dramatically, trying to suck up to Kiba…the less money they owed him, the better.

It didn't work. "Price is non-negotiable, $20 a week, each horse."

"Say what? How about $40 a week, all up?" Naruto challenged.

Gaara rolled his eyes in exasperation and Kiba raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, you win, $40 a week, all up." Kiba sighed. Letting Naruto think he'd won.

Turning away from the loud blonde and silent red head, Kiba head out of the stable, barely being able to keep his laughter silent.

"Things sure are going to be different around here." He thought to himself.

* * *

Arriving back at the inn half an hour later, Naruto and Gaara met two new faces. Standing out the front was Iruka, and two young men. One had jet black hair with a strange bowl cut, fringe resting just above two bushy eyebrows, the other had black hair tied back in a ponytail and a bored look on his face. The two young men were carrying a pane of glass, for the new window.

"How troublesome…" The one with the ponytail sighed.

"Yosh! Let the youthful love of the Lord flow through you and fill you with energy!" The other young man said throwing some punches to the air.

All four of the remaining men sweat dropped stepping away from the overly enthusiastic young man. Iruka caught sight of the equally surprised Gaara and Naruto and called out to them.

"It's about time you came back, Lee," He indicated to the enthusiastic young man. "And Shikamaru," He indicated to the bored young man. "Have just dropped off your supplies."

Placing the pane of glass down, Lee and Shikamaru turned to face the other two young men. Lee's gaze was immediately stuck on the sight of the very dark and suspicious looking red head that gave him an eerie feeling. With aqua green eyes, rimmed in demonic black, and hair as red as blood. Evil, There was no doubt in Lee's mind!

"YOU!!!!"

Everybody froze and looked at Lee with shocked expressions.

"….Me?" Gaara said with an uncomfortable look on his face, as Lee pointed an accusing finger at him.

"He has no pupils! DEMON, he's a demon! Oh Father Gai, if there was ever a time for your presence, it would be now! Demon, leave the body of this cursed man!"

Gaara froze, except his eyes, which narrowed into a glare. "What did you call me?" He snarled.

Lee cried again, brandishing a cross at the angry red head, "I can see the darkness in you! Those eyes are the eyes of evil! May the power of love and youth of God be with y-"Lee was immediately smacked across the head by Shikamaru.

"Knock it off Lee! Leave the guy alone! Geez..." Shikamaru sighed with a tired face.

Naruto was doubled over, clutching his sides as he laughed loudly, tears rolling down his face. Iruka was chuckling at the angered expression on Gaara's face.

"Oh, it's alright." Naruto interrupted. "We're used to having Gaara being accused as a bad guy, but he's really a good guy!" Naruto said with a grin.

"We'll see about that, demon!" Lee shouted as he once more shot an accusing finger at Gaara.

Gaara's hand started moving to his gun, so Naruto stepped in.

"Whoa Gaara, settle down!"

"I wasn't going to shoot him…only scare him to death." Gaara stated, taking his hand off his gun.

Iruka was finally able to stop his chuckling long enough to calm Lee down.

"Well, I have other jobs to do…see you guys around." Shikamaru said before walking off down the street.

"What about you Lee, do you have other jobs to do?" Iruka asked the black haired young man.

Lee nodded. "Yes…but they can wait. I have to go and see Father Gai, he needs to know of this new evil!"

Before anyone could say anything, Lee had run off down the street. Naruto had returned to some quiet laughing, while Gaara snarled at the retreating boy.

"I never want to see him again." He thought to himself.

"Guys, I need you to go into town and buy the last few supplies." Iruka said, changing the subject.

Naruto grumbled, but Gaara accepted their chore without complaint…they were the ones that broke the window.

* * *

Exiting the General Store with the last few supplies, Gaara and Naruto were heading back to the inn when they were stopped by two men. One seemed to be around their age and the other looked similar…probably related…to the younger, but older.

"Who are you?" The older asked stoically.

It was then that Naruto noticed the 'sheriff' badge adorning the older man's jacket pocket.

"Hey you're the sheriff…nice to meet you! I'm Naruto and this is Gaara."

Gaara was eyeing the sheriff and his companion with suspicion. The younger of the two was dressed in an outfit that was very dark blue and wearing a hat that covered most of his face and gave him an aura of mystery and suspicion. The sheriff, dressed in all near black, looked mach more mysterious and dangerous.

The sheriff looked at the perky blonde and frowned. "New to town? Well, all new-comers have to go and see the mayor. We don't like strangers…"

"We're busy." Gaara stated firmly, crossing his arms.

"Now!" The sheriff's companion snapped.

* * *

**What did you think? Drop me a line. All comments on artwork should be submitted on DA please, it's only fair that Sabaku-chan gets the credit for those, she does it ALL!!! I just write the chappies.**

**A shout out to all deviants!!! You guys rock!!! (This is Sleepy-chan) Add me as a friend or the story to faves.**

**Ja ne,**


	3. Mayor, Priest and FortuneTeller

**Hey Hey!! Wandering Wonderer/Sleepwalking101 (Sleepy-chan) here. Finally. Ch 3 of HotW is up. :boogie:...yeah, it was worth a shot.**

**In this chapter, the plot really begins moving along, woot.**

**I'm sorry, I'm high on chocolate ice cream. I have an exam tomorrow, 2 the day after that and one the day after that...there, high gone.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...that'd be pretty cool though.**

**Go and check out my and Sabaku-chan's deviant art pages once you're done. Fun for all!!**

* * *

Walking down the main street just ahead of the sheriff and his accomplice, Naruto and Gaara attracted a lot of stares. There were stares, sneers, jeers and whipsers, and the two young men, being used to such treatment, could basically hear the taunts. They could hear the sheriff talking quietly to his partner, who they assumed was his deputy.

Unable to hear what the two authority figures were saying, Gaara stopped trying to eavesdrop. Naruto was walking along, oblivious smile on his face, arms swinging by his sides.

"This is so cool, we're getting a tour of the town." Naruto said cheerfully to his silent companion.

Gaara made no indication he'd heard.

"Excuse me sir, how'd you become sheriff? It's such a cool job, everyone likes you and you get to protect so many people. It must be great to know that people depend on you!" Naruto called back to the sheriff.

At that remark, Gaara had to smile slightly, he was proud to know Naruto when he talked like that. He didn't see protecting people as a responisibility, but as a privilege. However, his smile disappeared when the sheriff didn't reply.

"Hey sheriff, what's your name?"

At this, Gaara's ears perked, he wanted the answer probably just as much as the perky blonde who'd asked the question.

"Uchiha…Itachi Uchiha." The older man said in a monotone voice.

Naruto and Gaara exchanged glances. Naruto's look was something along the lines of:

"My God, he speaks as boring as you do!"

Whereas Gaara's look was something like:

"What do you think this guy's hiding?"

Clearly, the two young men were on different pages. Gaara sighed, exasperated with his friend.

"Why me?" He asked himself.

* * *

Arriving at the mayor's office, Gaara and Naruto were told to wait out front, with the blue dressed deputy as their chaperone. Itachi went into the mayor's office with nothing but a small knock on the door in warning.

A few moments later, the man from before, Neji, strode out of the office with an expression on his face that suggested that he was a man on a mission. Gaara's gaze followed the man out of the room, however, the deputy noticed.

"Don't get any ideas." He said with annoyance.

"I have no idea what you're talking about…and who are you to boss me around?"

The mysterious young man frowned deeper. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha…deputy to the sheriff-"

"And his younger brother…man that'd be cool. Being able to help people and work alongside your brother!" Naruto chimed in, annoying Sasuke more.

However, Sasuke didn't answer, and Gaara offered no comment. There was an uncomfortable silence for the next five minutes, in which Naruto kept fidgeting on the spot. Gaara was leaning against the wall, still as a statue, arms crossed and eyes half closed in bored manner. Sasuke was stood facing the two newcomers, one hand resting in his jacket pocket, the other hand was resting on the handle of his gun, clearly agitated. However, it as his eyes that suggested he wasn't agitated directly at the two men in his custody, but more at the fact that he had to be the one looking after them. It was the look of an annoyed baby-sitter.

Then, the most unexpected thing happened. There was the sound of air quietly escaping, a little squeaking sound that caught the attention of Gaara and Sasuke.

Then, there was about a moment silence, before a little pop.

Gaara's hands dropped from their position across his chest, and his eyes were wide, looking at Naruto. Sasuke's position didn't change, the only visible movement was the twitch in the corner of his right eye. Naruto had the decency to look ashamed.

"My bad…"

His two companions, both utterly disgusted and shocked…although they didn't show it…only rolled their eyes in response.

"Farting in a public place, could you be any more embarrassing Naruto?" The redhead silently chided.

* * *

Meanwhile, walking through town, the young man Neji was striding down the street looking like a man on a mission…and he was. He was looking for his cousin, the daughter of the mayor, Hinata.

"Where could she be? It'd be so much easier if I could see through walls…"

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a smaller building. It was run down…the owner probably didn't earn enough to keep it in better condition. He frowned slightly, he just knew Hinata was in there…for it was the local psychic that worked there…a young woman named Lauren.

"Blasphemy…" He muttered under his breath.

Heading over to the little building, he didn't even hide his disgust at this 'Lauren's' choice of profession. Entering the building with a frown and folded arms, telling anyone passing by that he wasn't entering for his own enjoyment, he went in search of his cousin.

Walking down the main road, Shikamaru and Lee were doing an errand for the butcher, Choji Akimichi, nothing special, nothing extravagant. Though the sight as they walked down the street…was very entertaining.

"Excuse 'you' Neji, we were busy!"

The speaker was a young woman, about the age of 18, with dark blonde hair that was shoulder length and not tied up, and her eyes, which were narrowed at Neji, were green. She was wearing a purple floor length skirt, decorated with a black shawl and beads. Her top, which had once been a normal blouse, had had the sleeves torn off, thus leaving both arms completely bare. Beads and trinkets adorned her neck, making her look exotic and mysterious. Disliking everything about this girl, Neji, who had exited the building, with a firm grip on Hinata's elbow, only glared back at the fortune-teller, before looking at Hinata.

"Come Hinata, your father needs to see you. We cannot keep him waiting."

"B-but Neji, I haven't been able to see Lauren for a long time. We were catching up, reading fortu-"

"Such acts are blasphemous, I will not have any cousin of mine meddling with such tricks of the Devil."

"Neji, please, that's going a bit far." Hinata said.

Neji didn't reply, only tugged on her arm tighter. "We're leaving."

Hinata slightly flinched at the pain, and Lauren noticed.

"Listen here Neji, I couldn't care less about what you think of me, but I won't have you hurting my friend. Now let go of her arm, or I'll report you." She said confidently.

"Listen here wench-"

"Neji!"

"-She's my cousin and I'm under orders to bring her to her father."

Lauren glared at Neji, but didn't say anything. Hinata decided to relieve the tension…or try to at the best of her ability.

"It's okay Lauren, I'll go, my father needs me. I'm sorry about what Neji said-"

Neji snorted, clearly indicating that he was not sorry about what he had said.

"I'll see you before you leave for Washington, I promise."

Hinata actually tugged her arm from Neji's grip, walked over to Lauren and gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry about the death of your mother."

Lauren returned the hug, and then released Hinata.

"Oh, and by the way…" She said.

She strode over to Neji and punched him in the face.

Neji fell flat on his back, the look on his face was one of shock. Looking down at him, not noticing the crowd she had attracted, Lauren glared at Neji.

"No one calls me a wench and gets away with it. You self-absorbed, obstinate, high-and-mighty pig!"

Behind her, Hinata didn't know whether to laugh or not. Deciding to leave with Neji before any more trouble was stirred up, Hinata moved over to Neji and helped him up, even though he was reluctant to accept her help. Looking back at Lauren, Hinata smiled.

"I'll see you soon, I promise."

Lauren nodded and waved to the silver-eyed girl, before heading back inside her shop.

Shikamaru and Lee had watched the whole scene unfold.

"The youth of the Lord is with that spirited young woman!" Lee said, watching Lauren disappear inside the building.

"How troublesome…"

* * *

Back in the mayor's office, Naruto and Gaara had finally been admitted to see the Mayor. Standing in front of the desk, they digested the appearance of the Mayor. He was a man that looked of high intelligence and strength. He had long black hair tied back in a low ponytail, and piercing silver eyes. It was these eyes that struck a chord of recognition in Gaara…

He sat with his hands on his desk, looking intently at the two young men before him. They looked so different, one with blonde hair and the other with dark red hair that reminded him of red wine.

"I need a drink." He thought to himself.

"What business do you have here in Sunset Town?" He asked aloud.

Naruto opened his mouth when he saw that Gaara wasn't going to answer.

"We're just passing through. It's the first town we've been in for a while…sir."

"Where are you coming from?"

Naruto hesitated.

"I asked you a question! I want to know where you two are from. You could be on the run-"

The blonde stiffened.

"You are on the run!"

"No. We just don't like the insinuation that you think we're criminals." Gaara said with his arms folded, eyes set in a glare.

"Don't speak to Mayor Hyuga like that you ingrate. You're lucky we don't throw you in jail." Sasuke said.

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but as he did, there was a knock at the office door.

"Come in." The mayor said.

The door to the office opened and Neji entered.

"I've brought Hinata uncle."

As her name was being said, Hinata entered the room, and was shocked at the people present. Not so much the sheriff and his deputy, but the red head from earlier that day and his blonde companion she was not expecting. She tore her gaze from the aqua-eyed young man and looked at her father.

"You called for me father?" She stated, keeping her eyes and voice low.

"Yes Hinata, come here. I have some important documents for you."

"For me father? Why not keep them in a vault, they'd be safer than with me."

"As my eldest, you are entitled to my land after I die, but only if you are married by then. These are documents of my estate. You are to study them, and then keep them safe, do you not trust my judgement?"

"F-forgive me father, I did not mean to doubt you."

"Now, there is a chance you may never marry, being of plain appearance." Hinata's head lowered, her face turning red. "And if this is the case, Neji, as my oldest nephew, will inherit my estate and in which case…Neji, what happened to your eye?"

Taking her chance, clutching the documents Hiashi had passed to her, she head for the door. As she passed Gaara and Naruto, she avoided eye contact, feeling even less confident than usual.

"I was attacked uncle, as I was picking up Hinata-"

"Hinata! What do you know of this?" Mayor Hiashi addressed his daughter.

Hinata froze in her tracks, a few steps behind Gaara and Naruto. The two young men were now looking at Neji, noticing the rising black eye.

"I was visiting a friend, and she was only protecting her reputation."

"By hitting your cousin in the face?"

Hinata hesitated. "She…you see-what happened was…"

"Spit it out Hinata!" He shouted.

The poor girl jumped and fought the tears, she hated being yelled at by her father, especially in front of people. Naruto frowned slightly at the mayor, for he was disgusted that any father would talk to his daughter that way. Gaara's fists clenched and he resisted the urge to snarl. First this man calls his own daughter plain…which he couldn't see why…and then he shouted at her, for something she didn't do. Though, mindful of the irritable sheriff and his trigger-happy deputy, he didn't say anything.

"Neji called her a…not very nice name, and she hit him. She thought he was being to forceful on me-"

"Even though they were my orders!"

"F-father, she was only being a friend."

"Neji, what is this 'friend's' name?"

"She is the town's fortune-teller."

"Mayor, should I go and see the fortune-teller and take her to jail?" Itachi asked.

"That sounds like a good idea. She hit the nephew of the mayor, and she needs to learn her place. Also, she must be preaching the Devil's work."

Itachi began leaving the room.

"No father, please don't! She was going to be leaving Sunset Town soon anyway. Her mother is…ill in Washington. Please father, just let her leave. Her mother is dying and it would be wrong for her not to be able to say goodbye. Don't let another girl go without saying goodbye to their mother…"

Gaara and Naruto were starting to feel awkward. They felt they were privy to personal information, information they had no right to. Hiashi sighed at his daughter, who looked at the ground. She had just lied to her father's face.

"I'm sorry Lauren, it looks like I won't be able to see you again." She thought to herself.

"Alright, have it your way. Itachi, Sasuke, go to the fortune-teller and tell her she has to leave town immediately…if she's a true fortune-teller, she should already be aware of your approach. Make sure she leaves today."

Itachi and Sasuke left without a word, leaving the mayor, his daughter and nephew, and Naruto and Gaara in the room.

"Now, boys, I will not have any trouble from you will I?"

"No sir, we were not here to cause trouble anyway. I accidentally broke a window at the inn and ran up a 'small' tab at the saloon. We're just working off our debts and then we'll be gone." Naruto explained.

"Yes well, behave yourselves, I don't want any trouble in my town. Now leave."

The two boys nodded and turned towards the door. Gaara saw that a few tears had escaped her eyes and were now running down Hinata's face. He had time unknown and overwhelming desire to comfort her. Frightened by these feelings, he hurried out the door, followed by Naruto.

"Keep an eye on them Neji."

"Yes sir."

* * *

The next few days were uneventful for the two newcomers. They saw the fortune-teller leave the day after she was ordered to, and finding out that it had been Hinata who had asked her father to allow Lauren to stay the night in Sunset Town so she'd be able to get a full day's ride the next day.

The boys worked hard, replacing the window…and somehow making a hole in the wall in the process, thus ensuring at least another 3 days work. Because of this, they got to know Lee and Shikamaru better. Also, because they went and saw their horses every day, they also got to know Kiba the vet better. It was Kiba who had invited them to the saloon for drinks on Saturday night…and it was Naruto who caused the debt they owed Kakashi to be greater.

After a night of drinking and talking, the two boys finally got to bed at midnight on Saturday night. Both fully clothed as they fell into bed.

The next morning, bright and early at daybreak, the two were awoken in the most unexpected and unwelcome way.

"YOSH! Wake up Naruto and Demon boy, its time for Church. It'll give you a chance to wash away your sins." Lee said, barging into the room.

Naruto fell off the bed in surprise, having already been hanging dangerously on the edge anyway. Gaara, being too tired to argue, growl or threaten, only groaned and rolled onto his stomach. Naruto climbed back into his bed and snuggled under his blankets.

"Come on, Church starts in an hour, and I promised Father Gai that I'd help set up beforehand, so we have to leave soon." Lee said, opening a curtain and letting bright sunshine in.

"Ahh! My eyes!" Naruto groaned and stuck his head under his pillow.

"We don't 'do' Church." Gaara grumbled, covering his eyes with his arm.

"I didn't expect you did Demon, but that's why I'm helping you become pure." Lee said with an enthusiastic smile.

Naruto snorted with laughter and pulled his head out from under his pillow.

"Gaara, pure? I can't believe you put those two words in the same sentence."

"Like you're any different." Gaara said, closing his eyes and pulling his blanket up to his chin.

Lee looked shocked. "You've 'been' with a woman!"

Naruto sat up groggily and rubbed his eyes, yawning as he did so. Looking at Lee, he failed to see the big deal.

"Yeah, and…?"

* * *

Iruka had been downstairs at the front desk when he heard thumping and shouting from upstairs.

"YOU WHAT?! MAY THE LORD HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOULS!"

"AHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET OFF MY BED!"

There was a series of thumps and a few gunshots. Iruka only chuckled and kept going through his finances.

"I CAN GET DRESSED MYSELF! AND I'M NOT GOING TO CHURCH!"

"DEMON! HEATHEN!"

"Iruka, what is that racket?" Sakura asked, coming through the front door of the inn.

"That's only Lee, Naruto and Gaara. What are you doing here? Has there been an accident?"

There was a large crash from upstairs and Sakura raised her eyebrow.

"I was going to do a check-up on Naruto before Church, but…"

"GO ON WITHOUT ME, ESCAPE WHILE YOU CAN!"

As she finished her sentence, Gaara came stumbling down the stairs, falling flat on his face at the bottom. Sakura rushed over turned him onto his back. He groaned as she did so, opening his eyes slowly.

"Are you alright?" She asked concerned.

He stood up instantly, cracking his neck and stretching his back.

"I'll be fine, just keep that lunatic away from me." Gaara said with an angry expression on his face.

"Lunatic?"

On cue, Lee came downstairs, dragging Naruto by the collar of his jacket. Naruto was shouting obscenities and trying to grab onto the railing. Sakura walked back over to Iruka.

"Which one is the lunatic?" She asked the older man.

Iruka shrugged and sighed.

* * *

Standing outside the Church, Naruto and Gaara were grumbling and had their arms crossed across their chest. There had been many escape attempts, but when it came to Church, Lee was adamant and became almost invincible.

At the doors of the church they meet up with a very energetic and enthusiastic man… the Priest. He was an exact replica of Lee, although a bit older, wore Priest clothes and had even thicker eyebrows, which made the boys' mouths drop open in disbelief.

"Lee, my boy! Who are these young men? Are they in need of guidance and love of the Lord?"

"Father Gai! Yes, this is Naruto and-"

"DEMON!!"

"Not again.." Gaara thought as he grumbled more, clapping his hand on his face. "I'm not a demon." Though he said it only half-heartedly, he knew they wouldn't listen.

"Yes Father, you're so perceptive! The Lord is always with you!" Lee looked up to Father Gai with sparkling eyes.

"OF COURSE MY CHILD! GOD IS MY SPIRIT!" Gai shouted, eyes shining, as he stared into the sky with both arms stretched out.

"Oh brother…he is even worse than Lee" Naruto mumbled. Gaara desperately started looking for his smokes but stopped, as Naruto gave him a nervous 'NOT RIGHT NOW!' look.

"Welcome to Church, you who have strayed! With the love and power of the Lord, I shall make you pure again."

"That's another problem Father…"

Naruto and Gaara decided the safest thing would be for them to enter the Church, before the Father crucified them. Entering the Church, they sat at the very back, hidden away in the corner. Unfortunately, Lee pulled them far to the front, saying that they especially needed to be as close to God as possible.

"Is there any possibility of escaping this nightmare?" Gaara whispered to Naruto, who was waving nervously to the people around staring unpleasantly at them.

"Well, maybe if we pray, God will strike us down where we stand…being 'demons' and all…lightning, that might be the quickest way to go." Naruto smirked at the red head, who gave him a look that clearly said…

"You idiot."

"No swearing in the house of the Lord!" Lee hissed.

They waited for half an hour before people started filing into the Church. It wasn't until Sakura entered…shortly followed by Hinata and her family, that Gaara and Naruto thought.

"Maybe this won't be so bad…"

* * *

**Yosh, it's done!!**

**Bye for now!!**

**-Wandering Wonderer (Or Sleepy-chan)**


	4. Meeting and Malicious

**Oh, My, God…**

**It's out, it's finally out!!! I want to thank everyone for being soooooo patient.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, or ever will, own the rights or characters to Naruto.**

**That's why I'm kidnapping both Naruto and Gaara, I'm giving Gaara to Sabaku-chan as a present. Don't know who Sabaku-chan is? The link to her gallery is in my profile.**

**Humour curtesy of Sabaku-chan from DA!**

**Without further ado, 'Heroes of the West', chapter 4!!

* * *

**

It was bad, very bad. Father Gai kept using Gaara as an example of evil among the people…one that needed to be cleansed immediately. Throughout the whole Mass, the 'demon' kept sliding further down in his place, trying to hide from the accusations and stares.

Sitting behind the boys, Hinata felt sorry for the young man. She knew well how it felt to be under scrutiny from people, whether you knew them or not. Beside her, her father made a point of staring directly at Father Gai, however, his body language suggested that he was very tense, with the newcomers sitting in front of his family. For all his worth, Lee was oblivious to the animosity and tension between his 'sinned' companions and the notable family Hyuuga.

After the sermon, people exited the Church in an orderly fashion, except Naruto and Gaara, who left the moment Father Gai finished. However, it seemed that Lee possessed great speed, and was able to catch the boys before they got too far. He dragged them back to the large, and mingling crowd, which was congregating in the Church courtyard. Pulling the boys over towards Father Gai, who was speaking with the Mayor and his family, Lee made his presence known.

"Father Gai, that was a youthful sermon! The passion of Christ is truly bestowed on you! You have cleansed my new friends." Lee beamed, pushing Gaara and Naruto forward.

Hiashi frowned in both agitation and suspicion, looking upon the three younger men. He looked at his eldest daughter, who seemed to be looking curiously, if not in awe, at the redhead of the group.

"Hinata, I think it is time you speak to your friend Sakura about a medical check-up." He stated firmly to her.

The pale-eyed girl stiffened and tore her gaze from Gaara, looking up at her father, yet not looking him in the eye. "Yes father." With that, she left, bidding farewell to the eager Priest and his companions, blushing delicately when she met Gaara's gaze, even though it was for a moment.

Almost the instant that she left, Iruka and Kakashi joined the group. Naruto looked at the two older men with an imploring expression. Though he did not show such emotion, Gaara also looked pleadingly at the men. Whether the men understood or even noticed the looks, they didn't know.

"Father, excuse me, but I must speak with these three young men." Iruka said respectfully.

Father Gai was about to greet the two men, when he realised that one of the two men was the town's bartender.

"You! You poor sinned man. Come, I can cleanse you." The eccentric Father shouted, drawing people's attention.

Kakashi seemed unfazed and held up a hand, smiling underneath the handkerchief covering his mouth.

"Yo!"

There was silence…

Kakashi looked at Gaara and Naruto. "Shall we go?" He said, before beginning to walk away.

"You're selling bottled sin!"

Everyone looked at Father Gai, who seemed agitated. Leaning towards the young men, Iruka whispered.

"Growing up, Kakashi was the only one who could break Gai's composure."

"You must be cleansed," Gai repeated, regaining some composure.

Kakashi blinked, then blinked again. "Maybe some other time." And he began walking away again.

Two of the three young men all but sighed in relief, and Lee all but saluted. Iruka and Kakashi led the three young men away and the two outcasts looked around and noticed that people were staring and whispering about them, they also noticed that Lee was waving goodbye frantically to Father Gai.

Maybe everyone was looking at Lee…

"I shall pray for your soul Kakashi! May the love and youth of Christ be with you all!"

And everyone was now looking at Father Gai, who stood alone…Hiashi having slinked away in the ruckus.

* * *

Arriving back at Kakashi's saloon, Lee looked hesitant.

"Good sirs, I fear it is too early to drink, not to mention…" He leaned forward, whispering reverently. "It's Sunday."

Kakashi and Iruka looked at each other, rolling they're eyes.

"We're not here to drink Lee, we're here to talk. As you know, the festival of Sunset Town is coming soon-"

"We didn't know that." Naruto said, interrupting.

"He was talking to the maniac." Gaara said, slapping Naruto over the back of the head.

"The festival is coming soon, and normally, Kakashi and I are in charge of construction because well…we built the saloon and hotel. They're the most structurally sound buildings in Sunset Town, built to withstand anything."

"Except maybe Naruto!" Lee said beaming, pointing at the new glass window

And they all looked at him.

"Anyway…we'll be building everything from the stage, to the side shows. After the festival is complete, you two would have worked off your debt to both Kakashi and me. Lee, you and Shikamaru will be supplying us with the necessary materials, doing odd jobs and such."

"Do NOT worry! I shall help you create the most Holy and beautiful festival by also bringing some crosses and Mary sta-"

"JUST bring the materials Lee…" Iruka sighed, rubbing his temples. "Naruto, Gaara, we start construction tomorrow. For now, being Sunday, no one's working, go and have a break. You deserve it." Iruka concluded, looking at Lee warily.

"Scotch!" Naruto shouted, running from the saloon.

Gaara looked at the now swinging saloon doors, then back at the two older men…and frowning with an annoyed expression at Lee. Then he shrugged.

"Whatever, we'll start tomorrow."

And with that, he left too, though in a much more dignified way.

"STAY WITH GOD!" Lee shouted just in time for Gaara to hear, making him flinch.

"Grr… just a little longer."

* * *

Naruto arrived at the stables way before Gaara, and he ran straight to Scotch's stall. Gently patting his nose, he grinned ridiculously.

"My beautiful friend, my Scotch. You've been cooped up too long, let's go for a ride!"

In record time, he saddled Scotch up, and the two were off before Gaara even entered the street. As he did leave the stables however, Hinata entered. Riding passed her he tipped an imaginary hat.

"Ma'am." He stated before riding out of town.

Hinata watched the exuberant blonde leave, before heading over to one of the stalls, passing the stall of a tall black stallion. She stopped at the stallion's stall and cautiously approached. She slowly reached up a hand, and stroked his nose, looking into the horse's dark eyes.

"You're a beautiful boy," She whispered to the horse.

Gaara's horse neither retreated nor approached any further to the young woman who spoke softly. He remained calm however, because her eyes reminded him of his master's.

"He doesn't usually act so calm around strangers."

Hinata spun around and faced Gaara, who had arrived in the stables.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I didn't realise…s-sorry." She stuttered, blushing delicately.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "It's alright… I'm sorry if I scared you."

They're gazes met as they had the first time they'd seen each other. Hinata was again struck by the depth and pain present in his eyes and felt herself drawn into the light blue depths. She felt herself blush more, and she tore her eyes from his gaze, heart beating slightly faster.

"What's his name?" She asked, turning to the horse and petting its nose in a similar fashion to petting a dog.

"Storm…your name was Hinata right?"

She nodded without looking at him. Gaara walked over beside her and opened the stall, moving closer to Storm.

"Would you like to take a closer look at him?" He asked.

She nodded again and moved into the stall, standing on the other side of Storm, gently running a hand along his side.

"H-He has a beautiful coat, you must take good care of him."

"I do the best I can on what I have. You…you seem to know a lot about horses."

"I-I've been riding since I was 5, Kiba taught me. He's always been good with animals. My horse Starla is just down there," She said, pointing towards her horse, three stalls down.

"Are you going for a ride?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm only here to groom her. My father needs me at home s-huh?" She stopped as she turned around and notice he disappeared.

She spun around, looking for the boy and assumed he'd left, when she saw that he was kneeling down, cleaning out Storm's horseshoes.

"Oh, there he is," She said to herself, giggling quietly. "I-um…want to a-apologise for my father's behaviour to you and your friend, Mr…um."

Gaara stood up, looking at the girl in surprise, it was the first time anyone besides Naruto had been so nice, let alone apologise.

"Gaara, just Gaara." He said. "There's no need for you to apologise, we get that everywhere we go." He added with a tired look on his face.

At that, she looked shocked. "Everywhere?" And he nodded, avoiding her gaze.

She then looked sad and bit her lip, refraining from apologising for that too, he'd think her a freak. He busied himself with saddling up Storm, and Hinata remained, stroking the black stallion softly. Soon, Starla, from her stall, neighed loudly and Hinata realised she'd forgotten all about her.

"It was n-nice talking to you G-Gaara. I have to…groom Starla." She exited the stall and closed the door behind her hurriedly.

"I'm about to leave myself, gonna take Storm out for exercise. Plus, I never know what trouble Naruto's getting himself into, so I can't leave him alone for too long… Damn, if only I knew which way he went."

"Umm…he was leaving when I got here. He went that way." She pointed out the stables and to the right.

He swung up into the saddle and looked down at her, his eyes soft. "Thanks…maybe I'll see you around."

She smiled softly and blushed. She watched as he left on his amazing horse, and then went on her way, grooming Starla.

* * *

"These two may be a problem."

Sasuke looked at his brother in confusion. He was twirling his gun on a finger, leaning back on a chair.

"How could they possibly be a problem? Both the mayor and his nephew distrust him, and they're the most influential people in town." He said.

Itachi looked at his brother in annoyance. "Sasuke, they're two fresh faces, whether intentionally or not, I don't want them disrupting the balance we've created in the town."

"Then we'll just have to get rid of them…" Sasuke said, unlocking the safety on his gun.

"No, we can't just 'dispose' of them, people will be suspicious. We'll have to be creative and cunning. We need to allow the townsfolk think that they've driven that sulk and that idiot out of town. This'll allow us to stay hidden, and continue manipulating our will upon this pathetic town." Itachi grinned maliciously.

"How?" Sasuke asked, rising an eyebrow.

Before Itachi could reply, the door to the sheriff's office was opened. There stood Sakura with a big smile on her face.

"Sasuke, I've been looking all over for you. I didn't get to speak to you after Church."

"I'm the sheriff's deputy. Where else would I be?" Sasuke replied, sounding quite irritated.

"Do you want to have lunch with me, I have the afternoon off." She said, oblivious to both his annoyed face and the fact that she'd interrupted something very important.

Sasuke looked from Sakura to Itachi, who nodded ever so slightly. He looked back at Sakura with an expressionless face.

"Whatever, I'll be out in a minute, wait for me outside." He said stoically.

Sakura smiled and left. Sasuke looked at his brother with annoyed eyes.

"Why? She's so annoying."

"Sasuke, Sasuke, we need to keep up appearances, and she could be useful to us. I've managed to find out that she's been 'doctoring' the blonde one. She could provide us with important information." He said with a sly smirk.

"Fine, only because we need her. But I promise you this, the second we no longer need her, I'll strap her to a damn train track!! " Sasuke spat venomously, clenching his teeth.

He stood up and sheathed his gun. Throwing on his hat, he left the station and met with Sakura out on the street.

"I've made a nice picnic, want to go for a walk out of town?" She asked sweetly.

He shrugged, fixing his jacket collar. She took that for a 'yes' and took his arm, walking off down the street.

* * *

Naruto was riding a top Scotch as the horse moved at a walking pace. Naruto was taking in the scenery and wondering where Gaara could be.

"I could have sworn he was right behind me Scotch! Oh well, I guess we were too fast for him" He grinned, "Let's see what's out here."

They passed the spot where Naruto had shot a hole in Gaara's jacket, and the blonde winced inwardly. He heard laughter a little bit up ahead, and as he approached on Scotch, he saw a few young men standing around.

"Hey there!" He said, dismounting Scotch and smacking him lightly, letting him know he could go and graze whatever vegetation he could find. Looking at the young men, he recognised Kiba, Shikamaru and Lee. The other two however, he didn't know. One was dressed entirely in dark green, and wearing dark sunglasses. The other was quite heavily set and dressed rather well for someone in his late teens.

"Naruto, my cleansed friend!" Lee shouted, waving at him. "Let me introduce you to my friends! This is Kiba and Shikamaru," He said pointing to his left.

"Yeah, we've met. Kiba's looking after Scotch, and Shikamaru was with you when we first met." Naruto pointed out with a smile.

"Right! Anyway, this is Choji, the town's butcher." Lee said, pointing to the well dressed, heavily set young man. "And this is Shino, he's…just Shino."

"Nice to meetcha both!"

As he shook hands with his two new acquaintances, there was the sound of trotting hooves on the ground. Naruto turned around and grinned at the sight of Gaara riding Storm. Gaara dismounted and shooed Storm over to Scotch, where the first horse had found grass to graze upon.

"What took you so long Gaara, I've already made some more friends. This is Kiba and Shikamaru; you remember them right? And this is Choji and Shino, Choji's the town's butcher." Naruto beamed, moving over to Gaara and giving him a rather hard pat on the back.

Gaara nodded at the new faces and softly greeted Kiba and Shikamaru, only glancing at Lee.

"So, what were you guys doing out here?" Naruto asked.

"This area's a popular spot for all young adults. We were just hanging around, maybe do some wrestling or boxing." Kiba said, sitting on a rock and trying to look as manly as possible.

"Awesome, can we join you?"

The guys looked at each other, then shrugged.

"Sure, whatever, you seem alright." Shikamaru said, placing old tin cans in a row on a fence near by.

The guys sat around, talking and laughing, before Kiba stood up.

"Who wants to fight?" Kiba barked, throwing a punch into the air.

Lee stood immediately. "I will! The Lord invites all forms of playful fun exercise! Choji, Shino, Shikamaru, will you not join us?"

"Nah, way to troublesome." Shikamaru said, tilting his hat down, covering his eyes and lying back on the ground.

"I cannot ruin these clothes, my mother would be furious." Choji said, pulling at the collar of his shirt.

"Such meaningless past times…" Shino said, before becoming silent again.

Lee and Kiba shrugged before facing each other and fighting.

"Oi Shikamaru," Naruto said quietly to the boy lying down beside him. "What does Shino do in town?"

"I'm not sure. He's always been around with Choji. From what Choji's said, Shino keeps a very extensive insect collection…a living insect collection. Choji has a great love of butterflies, for whatever reason, and Shino has a rare collection that only Choji's allowed to see."

Naruto looked at the young man dressed completely in dark green, then turned to face Gaara.

"Wanna arm wrestle? Loser has to buy dinner"

"I always buy dinner anyway…" Gaara said, thoughts elsewhere.

"Fine," Naruto said, standing up and taking out his gun.

Everyone stopped and looked at Naruto, thinking he was going to turn on Gaara. Gaara only yawned and took off his jacket, using it as a cushion and lying down. Naruto only head over to the tin cans Shikamaru had set up earlier. Everyone except Gaara watched as Naruto shot the first can off the fence.

"Naruto, that is amazing aim! The Lord must be with you!" Lee said, removing his shirt and throwing it on the ground, sweating under the sun's heat.

Gaara looked up at Naruto quickly. He seemed to be the only one that noticed the pain that flashed through his blonde friend's eyes. Naruto looked down at the ground, and when he looked up, he was smiling again.

"Yeah, I have pretty good aim, don't know about the 'Lord being with me' though."

Kiba smirked as he sat down, taking off his shirt too. "How fast are you though? In a duel, speed is vital."

Naruto spun around, facing the cans and shot them off the fence. One, two, three, four, five, within a span of two seconds. The guys all clapped, except Shino, who showed no emotion. And Gaara, who already knew of his friend's ability with a gun. Undoing four of the buttons on his shirt, he thought about how Naruto acted with a gun. Naruto knew he was good, and yet he acted conflicted about it. When he wasn't being serious with his weapon, he was quite dangerous. The remnants of Gaara's old jacket were proof of that. However, when he was being serious, he wasn't dangerous…he was deadly.

He was jolted from his thoughts when Kiba stood and walked over to Naruto, patting him on the back.

"That's amazing, it really is. But sorry fellas, I gotta go. Hinata's usually at the stables at about this time, I'm gonna go see her."

Gaara wondered for a moment if he shouldn't say anything, but then decided against it. "She's probably already left. She was about to groom her horse when I left."

Everyone stared at Gaara, including Naruto. "Hinata, who's that?"

"How do you know her?" Kiba asked, feeling slightly protective.

"We've met a few times. Including when Naruto and I were at the mayor's office."

"Oh that girl! The mayor didn't treat her very well. That's his daughter right? You'd think he would love her. What was her name? Hinata…yeah, she seemed nice." Naruto said, holstering his gun in the blink of an eye. "She arrived just as I left the stables."

"Did she say how long she'd be there?" Kiba asked, looking from Naruto to Gaara.

"No, just that she was going to groom her horse, then go home." Gaara said, standing up. "I'm heading back into town, it's too hot out here."

He nodded in acknowledgement to the young men, and then headed over to where Storm and Scotch were grazing.

"That's a good idea, maybe I can convince Kakashi to give me a drink!" Naruto said, running after his friend.

"Naruto! If you drink alcohol on a Sunday, you will need to be cleansed again!" Lee shouted after them.

Naruto shuddered and looked over his shoulder. "Fine, I'll ask for a non-alcoholic drink."

Gaara, already stroking Storm's head, moved closer to his animal best friend. He sighed as he placed his head against Storm's, softly stroking the side of his nose as he went.

"C'mon Gaara, let's go." Naruto said, swinging into Scotch's saddle and taking off.

Gaara followed suit and expertly pulled himself into the saddle and took after his friend in a gallop.

* * *

Little had the men known, that not far away, Sakura and Sasuke had arrived for their picnic. Sakura was laying down a rough blanket as Sasuke spotted and watched the two strangers he and his brother had been discussing earlier.

"Sasuke, sit down, lunch is ready." Sakura said happily.

Sasuke sat down slowly without taking his eyes off the group of young men. He watched as Naruto drew his gun and shot all the cans. Sakura heard the gun shots and finally noticed the group not sitting far away.

"Wow, Naruto's a pretty good shot." She said, slicing a loaf of bread.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, the blonde one holding the gun. I've had to treat him a few times already, and he's only been here a few days with his friend. Apparently he drinks quite a lot, and yet he's always clear-headed in the morning. His friend Gaara is quite enigmatic, I don't know much about either of them, but they seem like pretty nice guys."

Sakura smiled softly and looked back at Sasuke, who was frowning at the duo as they rode off towards town.

"Hmm, brother may be right, Sakura may be useful to us."

* * *

**Hope you like it…I don't think it's my best, but you decide. Reviews are welcomed, constructive criticism is also welcomed…flames are not.**

**Next chapter won't be out until after the 22****nd**** of January, when Sabaku-chan is back from Argentina. She writes the funny bits, that's why we have to wait.**

**Till then, have a Happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and any other Religious holiday; and a Happy New Year.**

**See you all in 2008!!**

**-Wandering Wonderer (Sleepwalking101)**


	5. Construction

**Meep!**

**_Waves symbolic flag of peace_**** Is it even worth grovelling for forgiveness? I'm what, 6 months overdue with the update? Uni, life…Sabaku-chan going to hospital, it's all been happening since I last updated. 'Sides, I've been on a NaruHina trip (I'm going for the 100 Themes Challenge over on DA).**

**I've been receiving sporadic reviews and each time I feel so guilty that I haven't updated, so I finally said 'No, you can't write anymore NaruHina until you write a decent chapter for HotW!'.**

**Thank Sabaku-chan over on DA for the humour. It's all hers.**

**The characters are not though. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Sabaku-chan and I are only borrowing them so we can dress them up in costume and plonk them in the Wild West. It's fun!**

**Now, the long overdue Ch 5 of 'Heroes of the West', thanks to all for being so patient!**

* * *

"Thank-you for meeting me so late but I must be discreet. I'm sure you've heard of the two new faces here in Sunset…" Itachi said to his guest.

"Yes I have, but I am yet to meet them."

"I need you to help Sasuke and I keep an eye on them. You in particular are able to get close to them without drawing attention to yourself. I need your help to ruin their reputations-"

"Which will result them in being driven out of town?"

"Exactly."

"This isn't the first time you've enlisted my services Itachi. Is there a specific time when you want me to…move in?"

"Not yet, I need to investigate them more first. Sakura," He watched as his visitor frowned. "Is unknowingly giving us information on them. Why, just today we found out that the blonde one… 'Naruto' is a big drinker who hardly has hangovers and is a very good shot. The other one, 'Gaara' is still a mystery. When Sasuke and I are ready to move forward, you'll be informed."

"Does Sasuke know I'm involved yet?"

"No, but I'll tell him soon. He's with Sakura at the moment, collecting information. I'll tell him when he returns, but for now, it's time you left. Try to collect information."

"Will do." The visitor's lips curled up into a grin.

She got up to leave, walking over to the door of the building. She slipped out without looking back at the sheriff and stepped into the cool evening. A slight breeze blew her blonde hair into her face and she shook her head to remove it. Her blue eyes narrowed on the large moon in the sky, before settling lower, on a figure moving up to the sheriff's station. She smiled.

"Sasuke."

The young man stopped dead in his tracks and glared before inclining his head slightly. "Ino."

* * *

"Gaara, whaddya think Scotch's doing?" Gaara didn't answer. "Gaara?" No reply. "Gaara?"

There was a loud, exaggerated snore from the bed beside his own, and Naruto childishly stuck his tongue out at the resting form of his best friend. Getting comfortable under the thin blankets of his bed, the exuberant blonde sighed.

"Gaara, I'm bored."

"Go to sleep."

"Ha, I knew you were awake!"

"Well I won't be able to fall asleep if you don't quit asking me stupid questions about your damn horse!" Gaara grunted and continued his fake sleeping. "Idiot..."

Naruto glared at his friend's back with narrowed eyes…then a wide grin covered his face.

"Fine! Then I'll get to sleep if you'll quit moaning like a damn dog over that blue haired girl, Hina-" He was cut off as a pillow hit him across the face.

Before Naruto could blink Gaara had moved over to his bed and slapped his hand on his mouth.

"Alright! Alright! Lets talk." Gaara snapped while blushing.

Naruto snickered under his hand. Gaara slowly let him go, wiping his hand on the sheet before moving over to his own bed. Naruto sat up.

"Gaara-"

"What?" Gaara grumbled.

"When Lee called you a 'Demon', how did that make you feel?"

"Annoyed…why?"

"It didn't make you sad?"

Naruto watched as Gaara turned over to finally face him, and his eyes had adjusted to the dark enough that he could make out his face. Gaara looked stoic, as usual.

"No." He paused. "What's this really about? What the lunatic said today?" He sat up slightly, his burgundy hair falling in his eyes. "You have good aim…it saved your life that one time. That man would have killed you if you hadn't killed him first."

"But I've taken a man's life!" Naruto looked at him with repentant eyes.

"And he wouldn't have challenged you to a duel if he wasn't prepared to die. You bumped him, you apologised but he was the one that demanded the duel."

Naruto looked down at his hands. "Still, I wish my talent didn't involve people getting killed."

Gaara stared at his friend. "That speed and aim may not be a Godsend, but it may save someone you care about one day."

Naruto looked up at him. "Yeah… you're right!" A soft smile appeared on his face. "You know Gaara, for a 'demon', you are a pretty nice guy!"

Gaara's head snapped towards Naruto and with a deadly glare he leapt over to him with his remaining pillow in hands.

"Just kidding!" Naruto yelled laughing, while dodging the infuriated red-head's attacks and reaching for his own pillow in defence.

An hour later, both boys were lying in their own beds worn out after their pillow war. Gaara, having used up all his frustration with pelts to Naruto's head, looked over at his grinning friend with a calm face.

He sighed. "This is why we shouldn't stay in one place too long, our past starts to catch up to us. As soon as we pay off our debt, we're leaving."

"Yeah."

The two feathered-coated men finally drifted into sleep on their beds.

* * *

The two young men were woken up in a much more civilised way the next morning. There was a firm knock at their bedroom door and Gaara woke up instantly, grunting as he sat up rubbing his eyes. Naruto's movements were less graceful. He had slept hugging his pillow like a teddy, curled up, grinning and giggling in his sleep. When the knock sounded on the door, he snorted loudly and simply rolled over…off the bed and onto the floor, sending feathers into the air.

Gaara didn't seem surprised though, as he got out of bed and walked over to the door and yanking it open.

"What?"

It was Iruka. "Get ready for breakfast. If it gets cold that's too bad. We have a schedule to keep. Construction begins today and we've got a lot to do." He paused as he looked into the room. "Uh, where's Naruto?"

"Here!" And up jumped the clumsy blonde from behind his bed, grinning cheerfully.

It was a far cry from the expression on his companion's face. Gaara's face was set in a frown and his arms were crossed over his chest. Iruka seemed immune to the death glare of the enigmatic man of the duo and nodded.

"See you both down sta-where did all those feathers come from?"

Gaara shut the door with a decisive snap, cutting off Iruka's rant. Naruto had moved off into the bathroom and Gaara could hear him whistling a tune as he shaved. The more serious of the two boys changed into his clothes and as Naruto exited the bathroom cleanly-shaven, Gaara entered to act out the same ritual.

"Hey Gaara, do you think we'll be working all day?" Naruto asked, pulling on his pants.

"Don't know."

"Coz I wanna go see Scotch…and maybe get a scotch." He laughed at his own joke and looked over at Gaara to gauge his reaction, only to be met with a glare that obviously read 'you're an idiot'. "You're no fun!" He grumbled.

"You can't drink during the day, it's not healthy." His friend said, ignoring his whining.

"This coming from the guy that smokes?" Naruto grunted. "Besides, it's better than that…orange juice." He shuddered as Gaara re-entered the room.

The boys headed downstairs more gracefully, and painlessly than the day before, following their nose to their breakfast.

* * *

Once breakfast was finished, Iruka hurried the boys off to the end of the main street, where Lee, Shikamaru and Kakashi were waiting. Timber and other construction items surrounded them. Shikamaru looked completely at ease…napping against a plank of wood. Lee on the other hand was balancing a shorter length of wood on his hand. When he saw Naruto and Gaara approaching he waved at them eagerly, ruining his perfect balance and the wood came crashing down on his head. It didn't seem to affect him though, and he continued waving at the advancing young men and their gracious host.

"Morning boys, ready for a hard day of work?" Kakashi said and his grin was of course obscured.

"Sure, why not! It's a new experience and it'll be helping people, right?" Naruto replied.

Kakashi nodded and as he did, Shikamaru jolted awake. He mumbled about something being troublesome, and Gaara couldn't help but agree.

"But the sooner we're done, the sooner we're out of here." He told himself, and he would later find that to be his mantra.

"Okay, each and every year the main event of the festival is the end, where we hand out awards to certain people. Citizenship, entrepreneurship, and ingenuity are just some of the awards. So, we need a platform to distribute these awards from. That's your task boys, it's going over there, Shikamaru has the schematics, get to it!" Iruka said sounding invigorated.

Shikamaru struggled to his feet and walked over to the sight of the future platform. Motioning for Lee, Gaara and Naruto to come closer, her explained the details of the blueprints. As he did this, Kakashi and Iruka began building the shells of stalls, a simple enough task except for the fact that they'd need 15.

"Got it? Okay I'm going to measure the timber, Lee you're going to cut the timber, and you two will start making the outer frame. Structure first, we can't have the platform collapse when people stand on it."

Naruto snickered at the thought of the sheriff and his deputy, and the stuffy mayor and his nephew falling through the platform in front of everyone. The sound of a neighing horse pulled him from his reverie and he watched as said sheriff and his deputy rode up on horses. The younger of the two men glared down at him disdainfully, but Naruto grinned up at him. Gaara, who had watched the exchange, rolled his eyes.

"If anything goes wrong during our festival, I'm holding you two personally responsible." Itachi said, placing his hand on his waist in a way that flashed the gun sitting in a holster on his side.

"You do that coz you'll see, nothing will go wrong!" Naruto said assuredly, looking Itachi straight in the eye.

Sasuke looked at his brother, and the two shared a meaningful glance that Gaara filed away under 'suspicious'. He hammered a nail down loudly on a piece of measured wood he'd just received from Lee, and Itachi glanced at him. Gaara matched his glare toe for toe…eye for eye, and then turned away with a derisive sniff, fully informing the man that held position of authority in the small town that he was not afraid of him.

Naruto was not so oblivious; he caught the exchange, and trusted Gaara's judgement fully. He was never wrong in picking enemies or friends. If Gaara did not trust this man on his high horse, he chuckled at his own pun, then he had a good reason.

There was a tense silence, even Lee and Shikamaru had stopped working, when a new voice broke the deafening silence.

"Sasuke, good morning!" It was Sakura. "Sheriff," She nodded to the older man. "Good morning boys." She said to the others.

"Good morning Sakura, you're looking lovely this morning!" Naruto smiled truthfully.

Sakura was struck by the blonde's forwardness, but was flattered anyway. She's never been told she was lovely before. She looked up at Sasuke with hopeful eyes, hoping he'd compliment her too. Oh, that would be nice. However the brooding brunette was oblivious and her heart hurt, just a little.

"You should be proud of me Sakura, I haven't hurt myself yet today!" Naruto continued, twirling a hammer between his fingers.

Sakura looked at him with a genuine smile. "Yeah well, don't jinx it." She looked over the rest of the boys too. "Good luck with construction, I'm off to make a house call." She curtsied slightly to Itachi and Sasuke. "Sheriff…Sasuke."

She left just as gracefully as she'd arrived, taking the tense atmosphere with her. Naruto and Gaara began work again, hammering nails into the timber that would become the frame of the platform. Their two colleagues moved over to them, helping to hold the shape of the frame in place.

"Wanderers," Itachi said to Naruto and Gaara. "We'll be keeping an eye on you. We don't like people ruining the peace we have here in town."

"Don't you have anybody else to threaten? We already told the mayor we weren't going to make any trouble. We're leaving as soon as our debt's paid off." Gaara said coolly without looking up at him.

"My brother is giving you a fair warning, don't make us have to come and 'take care of you'." Sasuke said, smoothly pulling his gun from its holster, twirling it on his finger then stowing it back in its place on his side.

Naruto keenly watched the path of the gun, suddenly much more serious than moments before. His eyes met with Sasuke's for a moment after Sasuke stowed his gun. His glare sat uncomfortably in Naruto's chest, but was not subjected to the gaze much longer, as Itachi and Sasuke began riding on. In a common moment of childishness, Naruto stuck his tongue out at the retreating back of Sasuke.

Gaara smacked Naruto over the back of the head. "Watch it, he could have looked back." He shook his head at his now pouting friend. "And can't you act your age?"

"What was that all about?" Shikamaru asked.

"The Sheriff and his Deputy don't seem to understand that you've been cleansed." Lee said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

The three boys just blinked at him.

Gaara stepped towards him. "Will you stop using the word 'cleanse' with us, you-"

"Okay, lets get back to work shall we?" Naruto cheered with a big smile on his face, laughing exaggeratedly.

* * *

Sakura arrived at the mayor's mansion, knocking on the front door to alert the Hyuga of her presence. Neji opened the door a few moments later and her eye was first drawn to his black eye. She lowered her gaze from his face to stop herself from laughing.

"Good morning Neji, I'm here for Hinata's appointment."

Neji led her through the house wordlessly, and Sakura let that smile she'd been holding creep onto her face. She even had to slap a hand to her mouth to stop the snort of laughter at Neji's eye.

"She's in here." He said turning around to face her.

Her hand snapped to her side and her expression became blank. "Yes, thank-you." He began to leave. "Neji," She called after him suddenly. "I have some ointment if you want it. To make the swelling go down…"

Neji glowered at her and she entered Hinata's room, shutting the door behind her and snickering quietly. Hinata was by her window and had turned her head to look at the pink-haired doctor.

"Sakura, that was not very nice. H-His eye isn't even that b-bad now." She said softly, pausing for a moment. "You've…you've never spoken to my cousin like that before. W-Where did you get the c-confidence?"

Sakura looked thoughtful. "You know, I don't know. Maybe I had a good breakfast, or maybe because I've already seen Sasuke today, or it could even be the fact that I have been complimented today."

"S-Sasuke complimented you?" Hinata was stunned.

Sakura shook her head. "No, Naruto did. He called me lovely." Her lips raised in a smile. "His personality is very different to what we normally find here in Sunset. Him and his companion Gaara," Hinata blushed delicately. "Have really spiced up this town, don't you think?"

"Y-Yes, I think they have. Though my father, the sheriff and Sasuke s-seem to dislike them. Neji too. I-I wonder why?"

Sakura shrugged, pulling out a stethoscope. "Who knows? Now, let's get this check-up over and done with. I don't know why your father insists on having them done so often. You're a normal, healthy girl. If only he wasn't the mayor, then I could shout at him."

She shook her clenched fist at the ceiling dramatically and Hinata sighed. "Sakura…"

* * *

It was three in the afternoon and the boys were still working. The afternoon sun was beating down on them, making them sweat with exertion. Gaara and Naruto had removed their jackets and all six of the men had pushed their sleeves up passed their elbows.

"Gaara…do you smell something weird?" Naruto said, panting in the heat.

"Probably your brain frying…"

"Ha Ha..." Naruto replied sarcastically as he dropped his hammer to the ground and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "God it's so hot, like my eyes are going to melt! Kakashi, can't we have a drink?" Naruto whined pityingly, gripping onto the front of Kakashi's grey vest.

Even Gaara was craving a cigarette, needing sweet relief from the hard labour. Lee, with all his boundless energy, was still working at full power, moving timber from the measuring station to the site of the soon-to-be platform. Iruka and Shikamaru were looking at Kakashi too, hoping for a positive reply.

"Soon, let's just get this frame finished first."

"YES!" Naruto shouted jumping back.

In his excitement, he tripped over a pile of wood, all neatly stacked for use during the production of the platform. He sat up with a groan, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oww…" He winced as he touched a sore spot.

"You idiot." Gaara said, but there was no hostility in his voice.

"Well aren't you in luck, Sakura's coming this way." Iruka said.

"Sakura, your presence is a beacon of light in this dark time!" Lee shouted waving to the approaching girl.

"Uh, hi?" She replied. "What happened?" She asked, eyes scanning over the group.

"I tripped." Naruto said simply, grinning up at the girl.

Sakura rolled her eyes as she knelt down beside the clumsy blonde, checking for any injuries. "You're not hurt that bad, just a few cuts and scrapes, but I can tend to them."

"Were you at the mayor's place?" Iruka asked as she tended to a scrape on Naruto's forehead.

"Yes, it was time for Hinata's bi-monthly check-up."

Gaara was slightly perturbed. "Bi-monthly?" He asked before he could catch himself.

"Yes, but there's nothing wrong with her. Her father is just a bit paranoid. We mostly use the time to catch up."

"Ow, that stings!" Naruto cried.

"Well if you weren't so clumsy you wouldn't get hurt so often." She replied, applying ointment to a wound.

"Ah, but then I wouldn't get to spend time with you."

She smacked him softly on the head so he wouldn't notice that she blushed lightly. "You're such a flirt! And unpredictable. I'm…glad Sasuke's not like that."

"Really?" Naruto said, leaning towards her with a smirk. "You like boring and routine? OW!"

"I'm sorry, did that hurt?" She asked with a sickly sweet tone.

Naruto gave her a puppy-dog pout and she couldn't help but smile. Gaara watched the exchange carefully and surmised that Naruto was being especially flirtatious. More than with any other previous girl. His ice blue eyes narrowed, this could get to be a problem. The more bonds that were formed, the closer they'd be tied to the town, and the harder it would be to leave.

"Okay, now it's time for drinks!" Kakashi said, dusting off his hands.

"Naruto." Gaara said firmly.

Naruto looked over at his friend with curious eyes. Gaara repeated Kakashi's words and Naruto grinned. As Sakura finished tending to him, he stood excitedly, eager for a drink. He thanked Sakura heartily and walked over to his best friend. Gaara leaned over to him.

"Be careful."

* * *

That evening Gaara and Naruto were sitting at the bar in Kakashi's place of business. Lee had opted to go home instead of drinking the 'bottled sin' but Shikamaru had stayed as it was easier than leaving. The later it got, the more people arrived, wanting a drink to wind down.

Naruto was giggling drunkenly, though he was not as drunk as previous nights. Gaara was indulging himself in a cigarette, having successfully offered one to Shikamaru too, who had taken to it rather quickly.

When Kiba entered, he walked right up to the young men of similar age and chuckled teasingly. "How was work today?"

"Troublesome."

"Really, well I have good news for you. Jiraiya is reopening his business for the year."

"Really?" Kakashi asked, leaning over the bar.

"Who's Jiraiya and what does he do?" Naruto asked curiously.

"He owns the local…gentleman's club. Girls dance and sing there. And," Kiba turned his gaze on Shikamaru and Choji, who'd arrived just prior to him. "Ino is performing tonight."

The lazy young man and the butcher sat up. "This is worth checking out."

"Ino?" Gaara prodded.

"Local performer…very good one too." Shikamaru replied.

"Reeeaallly…" Naruto said, tapping his chin. "That is worth checking out."

* * *

The five young men entered the small building, looking around curiously. The room was darkened, with silk curtains and mirrors everywhere. It wasn't tacky though, it was tastefully and sparingly used to create an atmosphere of sensuality.

A tall, well built man with long, silver hair walked over to them. "Why I do believe I haven't seen these two before." He motioned to Naruto and Gaara.

"Jiraiya, this is Naruto and Gaara, they're wanderers that arrived in our town recently. We thought we'd show them your wonderful establishment." Kiba said winking at him.

The flattery worked.

"Front row seats for my favourite customers and their new friends! And it's free for your first time. I'm Jiraiya and welcome to Jiraiya's Gentlemen's Club!" He grinned widely. "Ino will be on in ten minutes, get ready."

He slapped Naruto on the back as the five men passed him going deeper into the club, taking their seats close to the stage. Kiba and Choji were sitting up, excited. Naruto was more relaxed, but still interested, and Gaara and Shikamaru were sitting slumped in their chairs, just grateful for comfortable seats. They both lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply.

When the lights on the stage became more prominent, as Jiraiya raised the gas level in them, the men in the audience started to cheer, Kiba and Choji included. A feminine figure appeared on stage with her hands set on her hips and her legs spread until they were in line with her shoulders. Kiba whistled from beside Naruto and as he did, the lights were turned up more and they soaked in her full form.

Small waist, smooth skin, long blonde hair and blue eyes that sparkled in the light, Naruto and Gaara too had to admit that she was alluring. When the music began, her hips started swaying to the beat. Her short flimsy skirt swished and sparkled with her movements, and her lips curled into a small smile as she winked at Naruto. Kiba nudged the blonde boy and whistled up at the stage again.

When the music sped up, Ino began waltzing around the stage, her body moving to the beat. She gracefully hopped off the stage and walked over to Naruto, sashaying into his lap, hands resting on his shoulders. He gripped the sides of his chair for dear life as blood rushed to his face as she gyrated her hips against his. She leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Hi cutie," She cooed. "Never seen you here before. New?"

"Y-Yeah, guess I am. So…d-do you enjoy what you do?" He asked with a flustered smile.

She was taken aback by his blunt attempt at conversation and slipped off his lap. "Hope to see you around."

She moved over to Shikamaru and sat on his lap, taking the cigarette from his mouth and taking a long drag, dropping the butt to the ground and stomping on it.

The raucous chorus of cheers continued throughout her entire performance, as Ino danced her way though the laps of several of the audience members. She had stayed well clear of Gaara, who seemed to give off an aura of danger. She may have been charged by Itachi to find out what she could about the two newcomers, but she wasn't suicidal. She's stick with the sillier and happier of the two. She was a bit annoyed that she didn't get more out of the drunken blonde, but she'd wait till next time.

After the show, Gaara had to drag Naruto back down the street back to Iruka's Inn. Kiba and Choji followed, Shikamaru's home was the opposite direction so he wasn't part of the group.

"What'd you think of Ino?" Kiba asked.

"She is good looking, there's no denying it." Gaara said.

"True," Naruto slurred. "She's sexy, but she wasn't arousing. Not my type." He said, coughing several times while trying to keep a straight face.

"Right..." Kiba said, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, she was hot! I'm definitely going back." The blonde admitted. "It's good for…relaxation. If you could call it that. No, distraction! That's the word, it's a good distraction! Besides, her body does her credit."

Kiba's laughter sounded like a bark. "That's what I wanted to hear! Tell me when you go next time, I'll come with."

When they arrived at the hotel, Kiba and Choji bade them goodnight before heading off to their own homes. Naruto was giggling as he stumbled upstairs, standing erect only with Gaara's support.

"Idiot, we have to work tomorrow."

* * *

**Ino and Jiraiya! Hurray for new characters! For ages Sabaku-chan and I were spazzing over what job/position to give Jiraiya so we decided to leave it till we wrote him into the story. Owner of a Gentleman's Club…I think it works perfectly :D**

**I'm going away for 3 weeks. 3 weeks in the Simpson Desert (If you don't live in Australia, google it and feel my pain!) because my Dad likes to 4WD. No water or electricity for 3 weeks. No showers, no lights, no Internet…no Foxtel :(**

**Don't know as of yet when Ch 6 will be up, and I'm tired of giving deadlines that I never keep, it's not fair on you guys. But I will be drafting and brainstorming while I'm away, so yeah…**

**Cannot wait for the 2nd Shippuuden movie! Comes out not long after I get back from my holiday (is it a holiday when you don't want to go?).**

**Reviews and construction criticism are welcome, flames will be used to keep me warm on my trip. Don't forget to visit Sabaku-chan over on DA, she has a few artworks on HotW over there. Link's in my profile. Maybe ask her to make new art for the newer chapters :)**

**Ciao!**

**-Wandering Wonderer**


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